Dispatch application utilizing short message service

ABSTRACT

A dispatch communication and management system method is provided, allowing a dispatcher and remote service technicians to exchange messages over a network in a prescribed format to notify the technicians of new dispatch orders, and to update status information for dispatch orders in corresponding customer service records in a database.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/866,026, filed Oct. 2, 2007, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/486,787,filed Mar. 2, 2000, which is a national stage application ofPCT/US99/15137, filed Jul. 6, 1999, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/091,810, filed Jul. 6, 1998, allof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to personal communications systems (PCS) and,more particularly, to providing wireless “e-mail” type messagingservices between mobile service technicians and a dispatcher. Methodsand apparatus for implementing such services are disclosed, includingmethods of using cellular technology operating according to the GSM(Global System for Mobiles) protocol.

BACKGROUND

For many years various public utilities, public transportation companiesand other organizations that use a highly mobile fleet of servicepersonnel have dispatched orders to those personnel via wireless radioor cellular phone calls. Such dispatch systems are expensive becausethey tend to be smaller than public systems and thus use equipment thatis manufactured in small volumes, which eliminates economies of scale.Likewise, such systems often involve creating an expensive privatenetwork from scratch. On the other hand, public wirelesstelecommunication networks, including cellular and PCS, have recentlybecome far more ubiquitous, feature rich and cost effective. Thosesystems have not, until recently, provided the type of messagingcapability best suited for managing dispatch operations.

That has changed with the advent of SMS services. SMS (or Short MessageService) is part of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)digital standard, originally only at 900 MHz but later also at 1800 MHz(also known as DCS 1800), 1900 MHz (also known as PCS 1900) and 800 MHz(E-GSM). SMS provides the ability to send and receive short messages ofup to 160 characters of text through a mobile terminal, or cell phone.The SMS service functions similarly to two-way paging, but it is rapidlyevolving into an electronic messaging (“e-mail”) system. With theappropriate software, users may send, receive, and forward messages froma personal computer (PC) to single addressees, or groups of addressees.These SMS messages are managed by the user's telephone Service Center ina “store and forward” manner, similar to e-mail, such that delivery isguaranteed. Thus, when the target telephone is unavailable due to beingout of service area, etc., the network will hold the message and deliverit shortly after the phone comes back into range. The message can besent by a central paging service, or by a compatible handset.

Not all digital phones are capable of transmitting SMS messages, butmost current digital phones can receive them, as long as the networkoperator has the facility enabled. The SMS message text may be keyedinto the mobile phone using the phone's keypad, and with some telephonemodels, through a full QWERTY keyboard with which the model is adaptedto interface.

Under the GSM protocol each network provides one or more ServiceCenters, and each of these can send to any GSM mobile on any network.These Service Centers (“SC”) provide a store-and-forward SMS function,which holds the message until it can be delivered or until a SMSCtimeout occurs. In SMS operation, a user may enter a correspondent's (oraddressee's) mobile number, type a message, and forward the message tothe user's SC. The SC address is normally stored in the phone and/or SIMcard. The cellular exchange routes the SMS message in an SCCP packetwithin the GSM's TDMA frame format. International SCCP messages arerouted based on a Global Title. The Global Title used for SMS is theService Center address. The SCCP packet is passed from exchange toexchange until it reaches the destination Service Center. Each exchangealong the route inspects the Global Title and uses this to route themessage to the next exchange in the chain.

Once the message is received at the correspondent's SC, the addressedcenter sends back a confirmation in a return SCCP packet, eitherdirectly to the user's SMSC or to the nearest exchange, and theconfirmation is routed in similar fashion back to the original cellularexchange and on to the user's mobile unit. When a message is received bythe phone, it will be stored in the SIM (subscriber identity module)smart card, and will be available to be read whenever needed. It will besaved until you delete it, allowing use as a simple notepad. Most phonescan be configured to beep when a message is received, or just light upan indicator on the display if beeping would be unacceptable. Dependingupon the phone and the SIM, you can usually store between 5 and 50messages. SMS is also used for “internal” messages, such as activating anew mobile telephone, remote programming of telephone numbers into auser's SIM telephone directory, and alerting the user of voicemail.

It is desirable to use SMS messaging to dispatch orders to serviceproviders. In order to further automate and manage dispatch orders tomultiple service technicians or providers, gateway software must bedeveloped by which SMS messages may be sent and received to a computer,and displayed in a WINDOWS based application format on a monitor. Thegateway software connects the computer to a GSM handset via aninterface, such as a data card or special cable, and allows the user toaccess all the messages currently stored in the phone, send newmessages, and even have incoming messages sent straight through to theuser's computer (without the phone beeping). Such a gateway would alsoenable an address book through which messages can be sent to one ormultiple technicians on a distribution list, in one action, although themessages are actually sent or transmitted one after the other.

SUMMARY

The present invention uses a dispatch communication protocol, preferablybased on the SMS function of the GSM specification, to alternatelyexchange messages among a dispatcher and one or more remote servicetechnicians in a prescribed format to enter event information into acustomer service record. The message exchange between dispatcher andtechnician is formatted in accordance with the business record format ofthe service organization, such that the message response of either partyis queued to an ordered field entry in a customer service record.

In one embodiment, the dispatch messaging may be implemented in the SMSfunction of the PCS 1900 derivative of the GSM protocol. Communicationdevices, including cellular phones, wireless transceivers or the like,are adapted to formulate and receive SMS messages. At least one suchcommunication device is coupled to each service technician's mobilecomputer, which could be a laptop or personal organizer (such as aPalmPilot.RTM., Wizard, or other hand-held computer). Alternatively, thecommunication device can have a computer integrated with the wirelesstransceiver, such as “smart-phones” like the Nokia 9000.

A dispatch computer acts as a central processor for formulating workorders for dispatch to service technicians' communication devices andfor receiving updates from such technicians regarding the status of workorders. The dispatch computer formulates each new work order into amessage with the appropriate protocol, such as SMS. The dispatchcomputer forwards the message to the selected service technician via awireless communications network capable of delivering the SMS (or other)message. To forward the message, the dispatch computer either couplesdirectly to the network or initiates a wireless SMS communication. Forinstance, the dispatch computer may couple to the SMS via a TCP/IPconnection. Messages for service technicians are transferred via aTCP/IP session from the dispatch computer to the SMSC. Or, the dispatchcomputer can be coupled to a communication device for formatting thework order into an SMS message and sending it over the wireless network.In either event, the network thereafter routes the messages to theselected service technician.

The dispatch computer may couple to a database that stores various workorders and indicates their status. SMS messages from service techniciansinform the dispatch computer of any status changes, which information isused to update the database. A graphical user interface allows thedispatch operator to view the status of work orders in the database, tosearch the database, to update the database records manually, to informthe dispatch operator of which service technicians are available, or tocreate new work orders. Fields are provided for the new work orders,which thereafter are formulated into SMS messages and sent by command ofthe dispatch operator as described above to the selected servicetechnician.

By taking advantage of an existing wireless communications protocol suchas GSM, the present invention avoids the necessity of building andmaintaining a separate data network for managing work orders. Otherexisting wireless protocols may be used with the management aspects ofthis invention, including by way of example a two way paging service ormessaging via the GPRS protocol. This invention aims to achieve one,multiple, or combinations of the following objectives: To providemethods and apparatus for establishing interactive wireless messagecommunications between a central dispatcher and one or more servicetechnicians. To establish a bi-directional dispatch per call thatfacilitates message forwarding and retrieval in non-real time. Toprovide an electronic messaging protocol that allows a centraldispatcher and a field service technician to interactively access andcomplete a service customer's record. To take advantage of the presentlyavailable and deployed short messaging service standard within the GSMwireless telecommunications protocol in order to provide dispatchmanagement. To provide SMS dispatch software configured with the mobiletelephone numbers or other identifiers of various service technicianswho will fulfill the dispatch order.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent in light of the following detaileddescription of an embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanyingFigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of apparatus in which the message protocolof the present invention may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of one screen display of a menu-based programembodying exemplary message management methods of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram of another screen display of themenu-based program of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting exemplary dispatch applications mainprogram flow.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting exemplary steps for processing newmessages.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting exemplary steps for creating a newticket and sending the ticket to a service provider.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting exemplary steps for viewing selectedtickets within the dispatch application.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting exemplary steps for viewing andmanaging all tickets in the dispatch application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to alternative embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Terminology

Before describing the drawings and embodiments in more detail, severalterms are described below in an effort to clarify the terminology usedin this document. Additional and fuller understanding of these termswill be clear upon reading this entire document: Communication device: Acommunication device is a handset, cellular phone, cellular transceiveror other hardware capable of sending or receiving wireless messagesaccording to this invention. By way of example, communication devicesinclude both “smart-phones” that integrate computer processors withcellular transceivers, as well as the basic hardware and firmware neededto send and receive wireless messages, such as the wireless transceiveralone. Dispatch order: A dispatch order is a work order related to aparticular job or task assigned a selected service technician by thedispatcher. The job or task can vary according to the particular type ofservice being performed by the technician (e.g., the technician may beservicing electrical lines, meters, water & gas lines, telephone lines,or providing other services such as cleaning, security, landscaping,delivery, etc.) Also, dispatch orders include general orders orinformation sent to all service technicians, as well as merely jobspecific orders.

Overview

This invention uses a client-service architecture in which the dispatchcomputer operates as a server to multiple “client” smart-phones or tocommunication devices coupled to a computer. Many alternativeembodiments exist in which the “client” smart-phones can be replacedwith a “client” comprising a computer (or personal digital assistant,organizer, laptop, or the like) and an appropriate communication devicewith SMS functionality. For instance, many service providers haveequipped their service technicians with laptop computers or personaldigital assistants in order for the field technicians to track dispatchorders and other service information. Such mobile computers can becoupled to any cellular phone equipped with a transceiver and SMSfunctionality (or to just the hardware for transceiving messages orimplementing SMS functionality). Such communication devices may be lessexpensive than the smart-phones, but still allow the user full SMSconnectivity back to the server dispatch computer.

In one embodiment, the user may acquire two or more cellular telephonesand subscribe to a cellular service for these phones that allows for theorigination of Short Messages from his handset. All PCS-1900 phones arecapable of originating and receiving short messages, but often theability to originate messages is usually sold as an option and must bepaid for by subscribers. The phones utilized with this invention canthus be any available handset including those that have serialconnections to a computer or the newer “smart” phones that haveintegrated keyboards and displays similar to personal digitalassistants. If the user chooses to use a smart phone, then it is notnecessary to purchase or provide a personal computer with thattelephone.

To implement one embodiment of the invention, a “smart” phone may beused for the driver's computer and communication device. For thedispatcher, an IBM compatible computer connected to a PCS-1900 handset,such as Nokia's 5190 handset, via a serial data cable. Custom dispatchsoftware may be created utilizing Microsoft Visual Basic version 5.0that will run on any personal computer that is using any of MicrosoftWindows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows CE. Of course, personsskilled in the art will recognize that similar software may be createdto run on other operating systems. In any event, the dispatch software(described below) connects the telephones with a dispatch order or jobticket database and manages both incoming and outgoing SMS (or other)messages.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, depicting thepersonal communication devices 110 and 112 that may be used by thecommunicating parties. Such devices may be BellSouth Mobility DCShandsets that utilize the FCC allocated frequencies in the 1.9 GHz radiospectrum and that are based on the GSM 20 protocol. These wirelesshandsets 110 and 112 are available from the BellSouth Corporation, andrequire the user to subscribe to a Mobile Originate Short MessageService that allows a message of up to 160 ASCII characters to be sentfrom one handset to another or other services such as PCS or the like.It should be understood, however, that the present invention utilizesthe Short Message Service capability, regardless of the particularcellular handset technology or its frequency, and that the presentmessaging protocol can be developed for either TDMA or CDMA handsets.

FIG. 1 shows routing of messages to and from service technicians'handset 110 via a cellular network's infrastructure 140 and MobileSwitching Center (“MSC”) 141. SMSC 142 receives the messages from MSC141 and routes the messages to the appropriate destination.

By leveraging the ability to quickly and accurately send short messagesbetween handsets, dispatch software allows for automation and managementof dispatch operations. For example, this invention could allow adispatcher equipped with a PCS-1900 handset 112 to send details about apending job to a service technician who is located in the field. Theservice technician's handset 110 receives the message, converts it to aformat that represents a job ticket and displays it on the servicetechnician's computer 120. The service technician then follows theinstructions in the job ticket, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3.Thus, the technician may drive to the address specified in the jobticket and perform the necessary work. Upon completion of this work, thedriver changes the job status in the ticket (e.g. to completed, partneeded, or some other appropriate description) and sends the informationback to the dispatcher via the SMS capabilities in his handset 110.

A database may be configured with a list of names and phone numbers ofservice technicians. These names and numbers correspond to theindividual service technicians receiving open job tickets. For example,if Bill Smith is a technician who assigned mobile number 123-456-7890then that information will be provided in a database for use with theSMS dispatch software. Once an identifying mobile number is entered intothe SMS dispatch software, whenever the dispatcher specifies a messagefor Bill Smith, the message will be sent to the identified mobile number123-456-7890. Of course, other indicia may be used to identify servicetechnicians if other communications protocols are used to implementcertain aspects of this invention. Further, the database may be used tosupport messages to all or groups of technicians within the database.

When the dispatcher's computer 130 receives a reply message from aservice technician, it will notify the dispatcher that the job iscompleted, delayed, etc. On her screen, the job ticket 300 is moved intothe appropriate category, such as from the open tickets listing to theclosed tickets listing. The dispatcher then has the ability to reviewthe information the driver entered into the ticket.

FIG. 2 depicts exemplary information that may be made available forviewing by the dispatcher, including each service technicians' 210, 212,214 open and closed tickets, as well as various functions the dispatchercan initiate. For instance, FIG. 2 shows that the dispatcher can use thecreate new ticket function 220 if a new work order arrives. Thedispatcher can also use the view selected tickets 222 or view alltickets 224 functions to determine status of work orders and capacity ofparticular service technicians. An exit function 226 closes out theprogram.

Alternative Embodiments

Although this invention may be deployed over a GSM network outfittedwith SMS capability, alternative architectures and protocols may be usedto transfer the messages from a dispatch computer to service techniciansand vice versa. For instance, an alternative embodiment of thisinvention may use the architecture and protocols of the General PacketRadio System (“GPRS”), two-way paging networks, or other wirelessprotocols that allow transfer of short data messages to and from servicetechnicians. The GPRS protocol provides, in particular, architecturesand various interface layers (both hardware and software) forimplementing a packet data system across existing wireless networks,regardless of the type wireless protocol (e.g., TD meg, CD meg, GMS)used by those networks. Certain GPRS protocols for implementing thisarchitecture are described in the following documents, each of which isincorporated in its entirety by this reference: (1) GPRS MS-SGSN LLC,GSM 04.64 (ETSI No. TS 101 351); (2) GPRS MS-SGSN SNDCP, GSM 04.65 (ETSINo. TS 101 297); (3) IW PLMN GPRS-PDN GSM 09.60 (ETSI No. EN 301 347);(4) GPRS PDN, GSM 09.61 (ETSI No. TS 101 348); and (5) Digital CellularTelecommunications System (Phase 2+): GPRS Project scheduling and openissues, GSM 10.60.

In a GPRS capable network the handshakes generated by wireless devicesinform the base stations that a particular transaction is a packet datatransaction; in turn, the base stations so inform a base stationcontroller, which can then route the packet data to a support noderather than an MSC and its supporting infrastructure. The support nodemay communicate with other public wireless or wired networks or with anIP (internet protocol) network. By, for instance, repackaging thewireless data message into an internet packet, the support nodeinterfaces more easily between the base stations and the IP network thanexisting wireless systems. This protocol may result in not only higherdata transmission rates (i.e., larger data payloads than the limited SMSpackets), but also in faster data delivery since data transfer does notrequire signaling to set up connections among network elements.

Dispatch Software

FIGS. 4 through 8 depict exemplary steps implemented in software tooperate a dispatch management application. By way of example, assumethat dispatch software has been tailored for a gas, electric, water,telecommunications or other utility company. A dispatcher accesses acomputer 130 running the dispatch software and connected to acommunication device 112, such as an SMS capable phone, like a PCS-1900telephone. The software first checks the connection at step 401 of thecommunication device 112 and computer 130, informing the dispatcher withan error message at 402 if there is no connection. Computer 130 thenloads the user database at step 403 and the ticket or dispatch orderdatabase at step 404. Computer 130 automatically updates the statusinformation and icons within the dispatch order database.

Thereafter, computer 130 enters one of four processes: process newmessages function 405, create a new ticket function 406, view selectedticket function 407 or view all tickets function 408. FIGS. 4 through 8,respectively, detail the steps performed by these functions.

FIG. 5 shows that when a reply message from a service technicianarrives, step 501 a-c processes the message, determining its originator,date and time, and other parameters for storage in the dispatch orderdatabase. Step 502 checks to confirm the dispatch order is in thedatabase, and, if not, step 503 a-b creates a new entry. If the dispatchorder was in the database, step 504 updates the fields with theinformation from the reply message. Whenever a job ticket is opened,i.e., connect electrical service, the dispatcher would click the “CreateNew Job Ticket” button 220 on the main screen of the application (seeFIG. 2). This would open a new form for the dispatcher in which theycould specify the service technician's name, job ticket number, worklocation and a description of the job that needs to be performed (seeFIG. 3). FIG. 6 shows that after the dispatcher presses the “send”button at step 601, the software reviews at step 602 the dispatch orderto confirm that the minimum required fields are complete. Step 603 thenformats the message for transmission.

To transmit in an SMS format, the software measures the message length.If the message is less than 160 characters, step 604 a translates themessage into an SMS message, step 604 b updates the database and step604 c adds an order icon to the job list. If the message is more than160 characters, step 605 creates multiple SMS messages and performs theother tasks set out in step 604 a-c. Persons skilled in the art willrecognize that the dispatch software can be modified to parse dispatchorders into message packages having a variety of forms, lengths, fields,etc. Thus, by way of example, the message package can be parsed into aGPRS data packet for transmission over a GPRS network such as a two-waypaging network. Or, currently deployed formats such as two-way pagingcould be used to transmit a message formatted by the dispatch softwarefor that type of network. In any event, upon completion of the dispatchorder form, after the dispatcher clicks the “Send” button 302, the stepsidentified in FIG. 6 translate the information into a message that canbe delivered over SMS, GPRS paging or other networks to the specifiedservice technician.

Referring to FIG. 1, the message is sent via the communications device112 connected to her computer 130 to the desired service technician'scommunication device 110. Upon receipt of the SMS message, the servicetechnician's communication device 110 notifies the driver (e.g., bybeeping, vibrating or displaying the message) and the new job ticket isadded to his database waiting for review. When the service technician isready for the next assignment, she opens up the database on the dispatchorder and drives to the specified address to perform the necessary job.She can then enter any pertinent information into the dispatch orderticket and mark it closed or put in another description, such as adescription indicating whether a new part is needed, whether anothertype of service is needed or whether payment was collected. She thenpresses the send button and the information is sent via thecommunication device 110 back to the dispatcher's communication device112, and thence to the computer 130. The SMS message is processed by thedispatch software as described in FIGS. 4 and 5 so that the dispatchorder is pulled, updated and restored to reflect the new information theservice technician specified.

If the service technician closes the job or task to which the dispatchorder relates, the dispatch software removes the ticket from the openlist and adds it to the closed list under the proper servicetechnician's name in the main display. The program will also update theticket to show the time that the ticket was closed. The dispatcher canopen up any dispatch order or job ticket listed on the main display andreview the dispatch order information, as shown in FIG. 7. Thedispatcher also has the capability to view all dispatch orders andmanually to close or delete a dispatch order, as shown in FIG. 8. If adispatcher manually closes a dispatch order, the notes field in theticket is updated to show that it was closed by a dispatcher.

Since the display can become cluttered when there are a larger number oftickets, the dispatcher also has the ability to remove a ticket fromview permanently. This can only be done to closed tickets. Removedtickets remain in the database but are marked in such a way that theywill not show upon the main view.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect toparticular embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that various changes, omissions, and additions may be made to theform and detail of the disclosed embodiments without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, as recited in the following claims.

1. A communications device for receiving dispatch orders, thecommunications device configured to: receive over a public network,multiple related Short Message Service (SMS) messages corresponding to adispatch order, the number of SMS messages being determined by a lengthof the dispatch order, the multiple related SMS messages beingreformatted from at least one Internet Protocol (IP) packet; convert themultiple related SMS messages corresponding to the dispatch order to aformat representing a job ticket for viewing by a service technician;and send over the public network a reply message comprising an updatedstatus of the dispatch order, wherein the updated status is one ofpending, received, in progress, completed, or problem.
 2. Thecommunications device of claim 1, wherein the public network is awireless network, and the communication device is a mobile communicationdevice.
 3. The communications device of claim 2, wherein the wirelessnetwork is a GPRS network.
 4. The communications device of claim 2,wherein the wireless network is a GSM network.
 5. The communicationsdevice of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network. 6.The communications device of claim 2, wherein the wireless network is atwo-way paging network.
 7. The communications device of claim 1, whereinthe job ticket comprises: a job ticket number, a job location, adescription of the job, a priority of the job ticket, and a creationtime of the dispatch order.
 8. The communications device of claim 1,wherein the communication device is coupled to a computer, the computerbeing operative to display a plurality of job tickets received by thecommunication device.
 9. A dispatch computer configured for sendingdispatch orders, the dispatch computer configured to: create a newdispatch order; determine the length of the dispatch order, and, basedupon the determined length, formulate the dispatch order into multiplerelated Short Message Service (SMS) messages; reformat the multiplerelated SMS messages into at least one Internet Protocol (IP) packet;send the at least one IP packet over an IP network; receive via a publicnetwork multiple related SMS messages corresponding to the dispatchorder, the multiple related SMS messages having been reformatted fromthe at least one IP packet; and send over the public network a replymessage comprising an updated status of the dispatch order, wherein theupdated status is one of pending, received, in progress, completed, orproblem.
 10. The dispatch computer of claim 9, wherein the publicnetwork is a wireless network and the communication device is a mobilecommunication device.
 11. The dispatch computer of claim 10, wherein thewireless network is a GPRS network.
 12. The dispatch computer of claim10, wherein the wireless network is a GSM network.
 13. The dispatchcomputer of claim 10, wherein the wireless network is a CDMA network.14. The dispatch computer of claim 10, wherein the wireless network is atwo-way paging network.
 15. The dispatch computer of claim 9, whereinthe dispatch order comprises: a ticket number, a service location, adescription of services required, a priority of the dispatch order, anda creation time of the dispatch order.
 16. The dispatch computer ofclaim 9, wherein the communication device is coupled to a computer, thecomputer being operative to display a plurality of dispatch orderscorresponding to customer service records stored in a memory, whereinthe displayed dispatch orders are organized by status.
 17. The dispatchcomputer of claim 9, wherein the message corresponding to the dispatchorder is sent to multiple recipients chosen from a database of servicetechnicians.